US President Donald Trump will meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on 14 and 15 May, following a postponement caused by the ongoing conflict with Iran. The trip, originally scheduled for next week, will be Trump’s first visit to China in eight years.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump confirmed the new dates and said he would host Xi for a reciprocal visit in Washington later this year. “Our Representatives are finalizing preparations for these Historic Visits,” he wrote. The Chinese embassy said it had no information to offer, as Beijing typically releases details of Xi’s schedule only days in advance.
The delay comes after the launch of Trump’s joint military operation with Israel against Iran on 28 February, which introduced fresh tensions with Beijing, Tehran’s main oil buyer. The war has shaken the global economy, and Trump has sought support from major oil consumers, including China, to counter Iran’s efforts to close the Strait of Hormuz. China has not directly responded to his request.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday that Trump and Xi spoke about rescheduling, and Xi understood the president’s need to remain engaged in combat operations. Asked whether the war could wind down in time for the trip, Leavitt noted the administration’s estimate of four to six weeks. “You could do the math on that,” she said.
The two-day visit will combine lavish pomp with hard-nosed diplomacy. While goodwill agreements on trade in agriculture and airplane parts are possible, areas of deep tension such as Taiwan are expected to yield little progress. Trump has dramatically ramped up US arms sales to Taiwan during his second term, angering Beijing, which claims the island as its own territory.
Trump’s last trip to China in 2017 was the most recent by a US president. The May meeting will be the first in-person talks since an October meeting in South Korea where they agreed on a trade truce.
